Resident Evil 5: Bonds and Trust
by SatiatedAgony
Summary: Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar have a bond that few have ever achieved. He'd die for her, protect her, and he knows she would do the same. When tough situations present themselves, it's up to one another to help each other. Pairing: Chris/Sheva.
1. Chapter 1: Trapped

Resident Evil 5 story. Yay! I adored this game thoroughly, so I figured I would write up a story for it. Whether or not it is ongoing will be based on the popularity or review of it. Simply, if I get only one review for this in about…two weeks or so, I'm probably not going to continue. Don't want to waste time on something no one reads, right? Now, to rule out any uncertainties, I'm not doing this because I **only** care about reviews. I don't. I like writing it, but I write for more than just myself! What people want is what I intend to satisfy, and without an audience to present it to, it feels like I'm just reading to myself. Not my definition of entertaining because I want to write to give people something to do. So, keep that in mind.

Also, the usual notes: Resident Evil and its characters belong to Capcom and not me.

****This story is based on the actual game, but after the introduction **(you'll know when the introduction ends) **I would have created my own setting/etc. Plot will be around finding Wesker and Jill, but different things will happen to get there.** A few flashbacks/etc. will have been derived from the game to bring it that 'Resident Evil 5' feeling. **Basically: Same plot, different way to get there && the story focused on Chris' relationship with Sheva.**

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**Chapter 1: Trapped**

The Humvee was shaking slightly, the sound of its contents bumping into one another as the BSAA member swung the door open, climbing out of it slowly. The trip here was long, hot and weary- terribly boring and aching to say the least. To say that Chris Redfield wanted to just lay down in bed and take a small break wasn't enough to express his need for a little 'alone' time. The looks he was given from the natives of the small town wasn't really helping with his unsettling feeling either with their eyes as sharp as a blade- critical and dangerous. To be honest, Chris wasn't expecting that much of a welcome nonetheless one that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. Turning around, he assumed it was best not to pay the people any attention, working his way to the back seat's car to go rummage for later supplies or necessities.

"Welcome to Africa!" A voice came from behind him- soft, sweet and definitely that that belonged to a female. The accent wasn't what he expected to be the drawl of an African, not to say that it was a racist thought or anything of the sort, but it really did sound oddly British. "My name is Sheva Alomar." Backing up from the confines of his car, Chris turned to survey the image of the woman in front of him. Pretty, actually, just right on gorgeous. Her skin shone brightly, eyes light and warm, the rays of the sun casting an even layer of light over her small, curvy frame. Chris smiled slightly as Sheva held her hand out, grasping it gingerly and taking up on the gesture.

"Chris Redfield."

"Your name proceeds you, Mister Redfield. It will be a pleasure."

Chris tilted his head just a bit. She was taut, very much in shape, but...she couldn't possibly be his new 'partner', could she? "Sheva...are you my new-"

She shook her head before replying "Yes", hands on her hips, staring diligently up at the man. "What seems to be the problem? You seem slightly caught off guard." Sheva was a bit on the suspicious side now, tone beginning to swell up in severity and Chris hastily realized why.

"No! No...it's not that I'd rather work with a guy, I just...you-" The image of Jill rushed back in his mind, and quickly, the man had to draw his words back, a hurt expression on his face. His new partner caught the look and withdrew, reaching up and patting him slightly on the back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was personal, Mr. Redfield."

"It's just Chris...thanks." A small laugh escaped his throat.

"Chris, then. Look, I don't want to seem rude and rush things off so quickly, but we better get moving." Redfield looked down at her, studying that color in her eyes that was surely captivating him, dulling her words. "Just follow me, okay?" By the time she spun around with the click of a heel, the agent realized he was obviously not paying that much attention to the real reason why he was here (shame on him, really) and sought to catch up with her. Not that hard, her strides were slow but graceful, and Chris enjoyed every second just walking behind her.

The small road finally gave way to a sealed off gate, a long rather lean man blocking the entrance- perhaps just a guard. Catching the two from the corner of his eye, the guard approached them, talking in his native tongue in which Chris couldn't even hope to understand. Sheva raised her hand, signaling and commanding him to halt as she decided to deal with this slight inconvenience.

The man went up to her, hands first grasping her shoulders with a slight squeeze. Redfield squinted, as if he couldn't really believe what he was seeing over here. It was fine to be protective and make sure if someone really had a weapon or not (but with what Sheva was wearing, Chris couldn't really see her slipping anything anywhere...especially on the top) but groping was obvious...and this guard was not being the best with his concealment efforts. His hands worked down to her waist, and as he continued down his little 'journey', Chris could feel the need to jump in and give the guy a few lessons before his partner reacted.

"That's quite enough," Sheva spat in protest, swinging her hands out and swiping the guard's arms back to his sides. She shone with disgust, slipping a card out from her pocket, showing it to the postman much closer than need be. "We need to get through immediately. Chris, are you coming?" Her tone dropped a few octaves, going back to that gentle tone of hers which held a peculiar amount of authority in it.

Chris merely smiled, nodding as he walked closer. "I'm ready."

But that was what seemed to be ages ago. Sheva was no where in sight and the shadows belonging to the lickers were becoming more and more abundant. Those damn creatures were always a pain in the ass to kill even with his teammate around, but all by himself and with just a few ammo left in his last magazine, it was just the question of when he will die and not if. To make matters worse, Chris could have sworn he heard the ominous cackles of a Reaper, sure...just one, but that was enough to spell disaster. He remembered being grabbed by one of them, and out of sheer shock, yelled from the top of his lungs for help- for Sheva. It wasn't needed, though. Sheva was always there for him and immediately unloaded hell on the creature, giving Chris a second chance to get the hell out of the mess. But,where Sheva was now, he could not say for sure, but the reoccurring bombardment of thought, wondering where his said teammate was, was the second thought on his mind.

"Fuck...I'm gonna be dead in a matter of seconds if I don't find a way out of here," Chris scolded, feeling the wall behind him, as if there were a weak spot he could punch through. The only way out was down the way he had come from (in which he was oh so fortunate enough to catch himself in a dead end), but it was still the only way. Maybe Sheva was out there frantically looking for him? She was, after all, across from him when she ordered him to stop, but being as low on ammo as he was and with creatures running up and down the floors and walls for him, Chris darted on out of there for a few precious moments to think of an escape plan for them both. Sheva was, no doubt, swearing Chris' name all by herself, running around confused and nervously without her fellow teammate by her side. They've been through some tough times together. If he were going to die, Chris would rather it be near Sheva than having her look desperately for him. _Good way to go. You practically made a bad situation infinitely worse. _

Narrowing his vision to that of the incoming lickers, their red, muscle covered bodies dripping with the essence of blood and gore, the brunet decided it was now or never. It was now to act, and whether he would die or not wasn't all that important. If he were to stay here, for instance, he would perish anyway...so might as well try. Preparing himself, hunching over slightly, Chris picked up momentum, speeding through the tight hallway as the dark, ghastly creatures howled a blood curdling screech. Their long tongues were rolled in a bunch, sinister and waiting to wrap themselves around Chris' exposed legs, to drag him under and finish him off. They were just begging for a fresh meal, or maybe just to sink their claws into something and satisfy their blood lust, but either way, they were both roads the BSAA agent did not want to take. Moving off to the side, sliding his body against the metal wall beside him, Chris struggled to shimmy his way through the limited space that the lickers were giving him. There was a pack, their blind eyes staring hollowly at him, only hearing the shuddering fear beating away in Redfield's chest. That was exactly what they wanted to feel, to hear, and on realization of this fact, the lickers thrashed their bodies towards the wall, seeking to tackle Chris down and have the rest take advantage of their fallen meal.

It was difficult to bend low, to avoid those thick, heavy bodies that sought to claw him down, but Chris managed to go through the first wave. The others that had sat around idly took the place of their slightly stunned members, opening their mouths in a wide gap, tongues lashing out and ready to strike. Darting out as fast as he possibly could, Chris realized his time was beginning to gradually decrease. There had to be at least six lickers amongst his sore and beaten body which still found enough energy to sprint and wrestle his way through that tight hallway. "Get the hell out of here!" He yelled, kicking one across the face with a powerful blow, momentarily hesitating the creature before it growled viciously, angered and irritated with the affliction. "I'm not planning on dying here!" Chris continued to scurry on forward, his breathing labored and adrenaline filled body still finding ways to escape the lickers' clutches.

Screeching to a halt, the quick turn in the hallway almost caught Chris off guard. He turned and continued, remembering frantically that the murderous creatures were still on his tail. "Shit...shit," he thought as he felt the twinge of pain and exhaustion creep up his body. He was beginning to wear himself out, but still, there was no end in sight from the long stretch of hallways that turned frequently and that seemed to relish at Chris' torment with it's never ending walls. The only thing that could have made it worse was that ping and pang of sharp claws that came from, not the monsters behind him, but from what was approaching him. _Oh, fuck. Please, don't let that be the sound of a Reaper._

Now, Chris never really had the benefit of an easy time, and as pattern would repeat itself, the image of an oncoming Reaper finally came to view. With the dim lights, it looked like something that came out of some horror film. Large, disgusting, grasshopper like creature? Check. Jagged and hard as steel hands that are ready to slice you into pieces? Check. No ammo, trapped between a mini army of inside-out animals and this grasshopper creature with no sign of help? Check.

Grasping the handle of his pistol frantically, Chris continued to close the distance between them, fear ever so present in his mind as the sound of thrashing lickers closed in on him. _I can't die here. I can't die here if Sheva still needs me! Sheva-_

The Reaper squealed in it's characteristic cat-like shriek, its arms unraveling, revealing six of the appendages. It was something fit for that perfect end of the world film. Arms ready to grasp a victim, skinny as bones, but stronger than the strongest man's on earth's resistance, and sickle like blades that were ready to end its prey's life. Chris wasn't very fond of imagining himself to be the next victim of these blasted things, but he surely wasn't immune to it's unrelenting ways. "Out of my fuckin' way!" Chris slipped through the side of the Reaper, who, immediately turned around and went back down on all its legs, scrambling rather quickly to catch up with the agent. _Shit_. Chris knew when he signed up for the BSAA that it wouldn't be easy,but the thought of mutated creatures that could only die from the strength of, lets say a rocket launcher, wasn't what he had in mind. Still, he was here to save the lives of billions of innocent people. If he were to actually go down here, though he really had no intention to...it would be worth it. It would be worth trying, to be worth a part of something that tried to preserve the many lives that inhabited this planet, who, at this very moment, hadn't the faintest idea of Chris' struggles.

A warm feeling suddenly came from out of the realm of Chris' thoughts, and looking down to investigate it, he had discovered that it had been a tongue belonging to one of those god damn lickers. "You've got to be kidding me!" He yelled in disbelief, eyes wide as the strong muscle yanked him down to his back, sliding him as if he were just a free meal on wheels. The Reaper had halted, stopping in its tracks as it has realized there was absolutely no need to continue with its attempt to catch up with him for Chris was the one now coming to it. Redfield squirmed desperately, reaching up for his knife before another tongue had found its way across his chest, and soon, another around his arms. This was it for him. He was completely tied down, and the look in that Reaper's face was both smug and terrifying. It's dark, black features were dripping with an unknown substance, probably the same strange substance that managed to gush out of it to temporarily blind its attackers once shot at. The breathing from the creature was hot and humid, the air coming down to choke Chris, arms wavering as it proceeded to ready itself.

_You're gonna die. You're gonna die and you haven't punched that grin off of Wesker's face yet. You're gonna die, and you haven't said anything to Jill...to Sheva. You're gonna die in some far off country held down by mutated lab creatures and with the image of some insane grim reaper copycat right in front of you!_

The Reaper raised its arms in the air, its long spider like arms, and soon, the shine of the blades made itself visible with the dim lights from overhead radiating off of them.

_That's it. Mission failed. Sheva...I'm so sorry.  
_

The blades swung, coming closer and closer...the sound of them slashing through the air creating such a characteristic crack...

"Chris! Chris, don't!"

The sudden voice caused Chris to open his eyes once more as he noticed the brown ooze burst out from the Reaper's face, backing up and yelling in terrific pain. The tongues still held onto him, fixing him in place, but soon, a string of well placed bullets darted through them, having blood soar through the air, splattering against the walls and painting Chris' clothes a bright red. The monsters surrounding him were hailed with a barrage of bullets, colliding with them unmercifully, crimson blood spurting off in every direction. Redfield was breathless, gasping and wondering what had just happened...his mind fried and unable to put any of the pieces together.

A slight shuffle of sound came from behind him, and soon, a shadow of a figure emerged up from over his spent body. "Chris! Get up...they're coming!" Feeling a hand on his back, the agent deduced that it was his partner...that one person he had been thinking about when his life was just hanging by a thread. She was panting wildly, eyes wide with fright as they studied him, his face pained from pushing his body beyond his limits. "Come on! Hurry! We don't have much time, please, Chris!"

Chris staggered up as Sheva grasped his arms, and though he was much too heavy for her, she did all the best she could to do most of the lifting. "You can still move, right?" He nodded slightly, heart still pounding, exhilarated, panicked..."Well, then, we have no time to waste! Let's go!" She pushed him forward, an encouraging gesture to start him off, and soon, Chris was running off in full stride again, Sheva following him and trying her best to hold the lickers and Reaper off. The sound of the gun going off was deafening in the confined area, but that was far from his mind, for now, all Chris hoped for was for the end of this god damn hallway. "It's not far! Just keep moving! We need some room over here!" Sheva's voice was surprisingly controlled in the given situation, and Redfield applauded her for that. To be honest, he applauded her for many things. She was tough and never backed down...she was uplifting, caring and helpful, and shit, she was just amazing with a gun. "Keep moving! Go, go, go!"

The two of them burst out from the hallway, eyes trying to fix to the more open, wide area. The lighting wasn't much different, but the dark shadows of more infected were creeping along the walls and ceiling. There were many more of them here, but at least they had some sort of fighting chance with the cover around. "Sheva-"

"Get down! Over there!" She instantly swung one arm around his waist as she cut Chris off from his thought, helping him towards the fallen tables and stacks of boxes and steel material that provided sufficient protection. Helping him down onto the floor, Sheva looked for a first aid spray, soon finding it in her bag and gave him a fair dose. It stung momentarily, biting at Chris' fresh wounds and teasing him with its ping of pain, but it wasn't anything he hadn't been through before. "Chris...don't run off again. You almost died! You should be more careful!"

Chris looked up breathlessly at her, gasping for air and body still worn out. "S-Sorry...I couldn't...I didn't want to scare you." She looked down at him, eyes sad and mixed with an overwhelming wave of happiness as well. "Without you, Sheva, I could have been dead by now." His hand faltered to gingerly grab hers, eyes shutting close as he tried harder to calm his still beating heart, though, this time, it was not due from the near death experience he had just went through.

"We're partners, Chris. Till the end."

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How was that? I would like your thoughts on it. If you have suggestions and supportive comments, hand them over! I won't bite.

So, thanks for the criticism! I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit sensitive when it comes to them, but it does help me as a writer. There's always room for me to improve, and reading them will help me make the story better and better. If you do have something to say to help me improve, share them with me, but don't go nuts and imply I'm the most ignorant person out there (though I'm sure most of you know not to do that by now). I don't know everything in the world, and I'm pretty sure you don't either. No one does. Keep that in mind, please. :)

Anyway, like I said before, a chapter 2 will come up if I have reasoned that it would be worth my time to continue. So, if you liked it and want more, tell me~


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

Yay! Chapter 2! Sorry if this seems a little slow to you guys, but our heroes are in need of a chapter to capture their struggles. Chapter 3 will be a whole lot smoother and calmer...oh, you'll see!

Also, the usual notes: Resident Evil and its characters belong to Capcom and not me.

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**Chapter 2: Escape**

Sheva reloaded her machine gun, the sound of the clanking metals ringing through the empty, large room. Lickers prowled everywhere, and though their eye sight was zero to none, their senses were as perfect as they could possibly ever be. The slightest sound would alert them of their location, making detection in this steel clad environment all the more likely.

"Damn things," she growled, still huffing from the escape she and Chris had endured through just a few moments before, "are always finding ways to make tough situations even harder! We gotta find a way out of here. We're not gonna last much longer."

"I've got you," Chris replied, his right hand splayed against the floor as he dipped his head, catching his breath and wondering if they could possibly make it out alive. "There's too many of them."

Slipping her hand into her pouch, Sheva handed the battered agent some handgun ammo. "You're lucky you even made it this far, Chris. I have to admit, how you even lived through that mess is beyond me, but nonetheless, I'm glad that you did." There was no point in getting all sentimental...she was just his partner, and their relationship was to strictly stay as so. "I would have-"

"Well, you were there for me," he interjected, as if he needed to prove his point. Chris brought his head up to look directly at her, captivating her attention immediately, his voice taking control in the given matter. "That's how I mostly live through those kinds of messes. You're always right there."

A slight smile crept up on Sheva's face, her hands still fiddling with the latch to her gun, slinging it over and locking it in place. Chris always had a way of saying those cheesy lines, of saying words that were so overly emotional and sensitive to his tough-guy, rugged looks. His personality with the self sacrificing and the hero like persona were so complimentary to these other traits he had: soft and sweet. Sheva figured he would be the more 'deal my problems with my fist' guy (though that surely was the case with Wesker), but after being with him for so many weeks on end, she had him down.

Chris was like some sort of real-life superhero. That guy who is always risking his life for the greater good, asking absolutely no questions and going all out with what he knew was right. But, he wasn't perfect, either. No one is. He has his faults, and Sheva was partial in catching those in him, too, but that was what made him just a normal, average human, and not some sort of demigod. Just plain ol' Chris Redfield.

"Well, don't get yourself into any more of those 'messes', alright?" Sheva replied, poking her head out from the cover, surveying the room. The two were completely surrounded with lickers around every corner, a few lighting rod wielding majini also prowling the area, though their location was primarily up on the second floor. Large shimmering red propane tanks lined the side of the opposite wall, machinery linking to it and spouting off to different sections of the entire system. Sheva carefully brought her head up higher, trying desperately to avoid the detection of the armed zombie-like men up on the floor above them. "I think...I think I have an idea."

A slight rustle from the side was all Sheva needed to continue. "There are propane tanks all the way over there." She looked down to see Chris' dark green eyes gazing generously up at her. She swallowed hard. "Chris, are you even paying attention?"

"What? Yeah...I am." He sounded matter-of-factly.

She shook her head, biting down on her lower lip as if by discomfort. "There are propane tanks opposite to us."

She looked down to see Chris' blank expression. "And?"

"Do you want to take these guys down or not?"

"I don't believe our goal is to rid of every single thing...though it would be nice." There was a silence between the two, and soon, Chris' eyes lit up. "Hah. When did you become an explosion fanatic?"

Sheva sat back down, hitching her knees up and swinging her arms around them, holding them close to her chest. "When I realized the kind of situation we're in. We need to find a way to get out first. Perhaps it's up on the second floor? Those majini came in, so there's gotta be a way out." The idea of going out the way the two came from sounded like an amazing comfort, if it weren't for the fact that that entrance had been totally blocked off due to the guards catching the intrusion. "You still have enough fight in you to make it up to the stairs?"

Chris nodded, the question not needing to be asked. Even if he looked completely worn out and torn apart physically, he would still be able to find the strength to go on and continue. Besides, their lives were on the line here, and Chris didn't have much of a choice.

"We need to get rid of the ones upstairs first," Sheva said, shuffling through her weapons. She didn't carry a rifle, and though she had laser sights for all of her guns (which was standard for all BSAA agents), she still found it rather risky to go out and shoot one from such a great distance. She could barely make out the red dot from such a position, anyway. "Any ideas?"

"...do you still have your magnum?"

"Chris, you're not going to waste my magnum trying to shoot guys from all the way over there." She looked sternly down at him, his body still rather slouched and slumped, his arms now crossed over his chest. The magnum in her holster was only used for emergency situations, and sure, this was an emergency, but it was also to be used if you knew you could make the shot. "I only have a few rounds left in it. You're going to waste it all just trying to take one of them down."

The brunet looked unconvinced, still keeping his steady gaze on her. "You want to bet?"

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous. Besides, if you're going for such a task, wouldn't you rather use a pistol?"

"Sheva," he started, "I want to take them out immediately. By the time I shoot one round and start to focus in on the target again, they'd be off running around and telling them we're around here on ground level. Not my idea of a surprise."

"Chris," she said in a mock tone, mimicking Chris' call of her name, "magnums are extraordinarily loud and will give away our location, anyway. If you miss, we'll be having majini and lickers all over us."

The man sighed, bringing himself up, though not straightening his back as to stay under cover from the shelter the two were using. "Fine. Use your magnum when lickers are all over us, alright? I guess we can take down the small fry upstairs with our pistols instead, okay?" It was a make-shift plan, surely not perfect, but time wasn't really what they had here. "By the time we get upstairs and back-up is coming, we shoot the tanks. That should hold them off for a good amount of time, so we can escape."

His partner looked unsure, looking off to the left for a second. "Alright." She sounded a bit afraid, Chris noticing it and grabbing her shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze.

"Look. We're gonna make it out of here, okay? You trust me, don't you? So, come on, let's get going."

The two stayed crouched, running off to the other side of the room, the task looking like borderline suicide with the distance between them and the objective. Conveyor belts, stopped and frozen, were running across the room, steel bars and contraptions hanging over head. The room was hot and musty, the strong smell of gas and fire filling Chris' lungs as he leaped over the small obstacles in his way- fallen boxes and knocked over canisters of some sort. Lickers crawled around the two, but keeping a low profile, the creatures were unable, for now, to catch them. Sheva held her breath, keeping close to the man in front of her, her swift agile moves much quicker than his own.

"Chris..."

"I'm trying to keep up with your pace, Sheva," he replied with an incredibly hushed tone, almost tripping over one of the pipes that linked to the large oven beside them. "But I'm not the quickest guy in town."

A few of the majini overhead were talking and rambling on and on about only God knows what. Both Chris and Sheva's hearts were pounding at an insane rate, both scared beyond belief if every second would be the second they would be caught. After walking in such a sluggish pace for what felt like en eternity, their objective began to grow all the more clearer and larger. Their stealth work was paying off, but the factory they were in surely helped with its mechanical life roaring away and deafening any source of the slightest sound the two had made.

Finally reaching the wall, the two touched it, as if to make sure that it were real and tangible. The majini up above were still conversing, Chris keeping quiet and seeing if Sheva would be able to understand. "Are...they saying anything important?"

"I can't hear them clearly. The sound is too muffled over here," she replied, soft hums and loud clanks all around them. "But, I really doubt they know we're going up. Better not let the opportunity to strike leave." She brought her hand back to her machine gun which was gripped firmly in the other palm, her dark golden brown eyes twinkling from the dim lights overhead. They burned with determination, and Chris had read it like a book. "Let's get out of here."

"Agreed."

The two once more lifted themselves just mere inches off the cold, steel floor, making their way up the stairs. It was easier then when they had marched across the room for there were barriers blocking the only side of the staircase, probably used to help the workers that had been here to be protected from fire that would have managed to leave the chambers of the large machines just directly across. Still, it was safe not to ensure safety from detection entirely upon them, so the two BSAA agents continued on their slow, quiet approach.

Chris was up on the second floor first, his first step on the level feeling like some sort of victory march. It would have really been one if it weren't for the majini lazily lounging about, some leaning against the walls and others sitting on the wooden crates in the distance. They were all at a good position to be keeping a lookout on vulnerable places, such as the stairs both he and Sheva got up from, but they seemed to be more out of focus than anything.

Bringing his pistol up, Sheva repeating his movements by pulling out her own, the two had their lasers set out on two different majini, the two closest to them. Headshots were essential to wiping out this two man party, or at least to make their lives easier (which they would definitely not mind), and they intended on making their shots count. Chris took the first shot, followed by the bang of Sheva's, the bullets whizzing to the heads of the oblivious guards, who, on recognition of the sound, turned around. With this, the bullets crashed directly into each guard's face, obliterating any recognizable features, spraying blood and skull fragments all over the floor. Slight hissing came from the two fatally wounded majini, one crumbling down immediately as the other still managed to walk around blindly for a few seconds before it too collapsed.

"Nice shot," Chris complimented, turning around to see his partner's smile of approval.

With the only sets of eyes off the stairs, the others mingling about further on, the two went forward, eying a room and betting there was probably some sort of escape route there. Unfortunately, the sound of the lickers' claws were beginning to creep up on them as they scratched about the smooth surface.

"They heard us," Sheva realized in horror, turning around to see the ever growing shadow of a licker coming forth. It was only about time before the Reaper, too, realized what was going on...

Chris grabbed her arm, yanking her forward, slightly pulling her out of her position by doing so. "Sheva, the room is right there. Let's get out of here!"

Alomar kept her attention on the staircase, finally seeing the full face of the licker, its muscled body throbbing in the dim lighting, beads of blood collecting on its arms and back, pooling up before it finally ran down the side. Its tongue was sweeping around the space in front of it, creating the most vulitile image an average person would ever see (and all BSAA agents knew they were most certainly not living the average lifestyle). Whipping her magnum out, Sheva took aim at the creature's open mouth, its teeth visible and stained red with the struggle's of a victim's frantic fight for life. The sound of her weapon created such a stir, deafening Chris momentarily, the licker's body falling limp and falling down the stairs. Its corpse collided with other lickers, who, from the sound of the magnum, were more than just certain that the two agents were cooped up up there.

"Shit...," Redfield growled under his breath, a pack of the lab creatures now clawing their way desperately up to them.

"I think we've got a bigger problem," Alomar said frantically, putting her hand at the back of her, feeling Chris' chest and grabbing onto his shirt. The razor sharp arm of the Reaper came into view, its brown, slimy body then following it. The black orbs embedded in the murderous fiend's face swirled around in the pit it was in, the eyes recognizing Chris immediately as the prey that had just managed, just by a hair, to escape. The rounds that managed to sink into the Reaper's skin were still visible, the once shining silver metal now covered in a thin layer of ooze and gore. Moving its attention onto Sheva, the BOW gave out a blood churning screech, alerting even the most far off majini of where they were.

"We've got to move!" Redfield yelled immediately, pulling on Sheva's arm, dragging her off with him. The Reaper, lickers and majini all had only one objective- to reach and kill the two intruders. Tongues swept under their feet, Alomar cursing breathlessly for every jump she took to avoid the lickers' clutches.

The two continued to sprint down to the room Chris had his eyes on, but Sheva was continuously looking back. She looked suspiciously hopeful in such a dark time, but Chris would ask questions later. His sore body that had been temporarily treated by the first aid spray was beginning to burn with the previous pain it had endured, aching and demanding the labor to stop. "Not now...," he tiredly commented, Sheva's light footwork keeping up with his longer strides.

Clutching onto his side, Alomar realized that Chris was about to reach his limit. "Just a bit longer, Chris!" She reassured, reaching out and pushing him slightly on the back. The two had, with time, reached the room, skidding to a halt and swinging the door wide open. The two sighed in relief, seeing a window, but as luck would have it, it was completely sealed off with wooden frames.

"Back up," Sheva ordered, Chris doing as she had commanded. Switching to a machine gun, she gave the blockade a generous spray of ammunition, wooden splinters soaring through the air, making slight chinks as they met the walls and floor of the room they were in. The wood now greatly weakened, the brunet decided it was his turn to do something. "I guess this is more your job than mine?" His partner said, her voice still heavy with exhaustion, and Chris only being able to smile as a reply.

Going up, he gripped the wood with his hands, yanking it swiftly out of its bolts and nails. Thrusting it to the floor, Redfield turned around and gestured for her to go first. Chivalry. Even in the face of death. "You first, hurry!"

"We've got to rid of these guys first! They'll be on us by the time we jump down there!"

The older of the two looked at her, eyes scanning and surveying. "It's too dangerous to go back out again-"

"We're partners. You trust me, don't you?"

_God_. Chris always hated it when someone used that line on him. Of course he would trust them, but he feared for their lives so much it was hard to tell which feeling he felt was more true. Looking away, he thought hard for a few seconds before Sheva persisted, insisting that there wasn't any time to just stand there and wonder.

Looking up at her, the man gave a quick nod, pulling his handgun out simultaneously. "I'll cover you," he said, following her to the door.

Sheva burst out of the room, her machine gun rattling, majini and lickers falling in front of her. Though the majini were down for the count, the BOWs were much harder to get rid of, leaping back up and refusing to die off immediately. Chris shot the legs of a few of them, accuracy hard to accomplish with his shaking hands, though ever so slightly. His partner was becoming smaller and smaller, the distance between them growing along with the desire for her to be near him. Redfield couldn't lose another partner, knowing that after losing Jill, he had had the toughest time he could ever hope to go through. To be in bed, once more, thinking about losing Sheva would completely destroy him, he wouldn't be able to live with himself...

Suddenly a loud bang came from in front, the embers of fire engulfing the staircase from which the lickers and Reaper were coming up from. Chris gazed at the explosion, the reds and yellows destroying everything in its path- a hell on earth. Sheva came back, sprinting faster than Redfield had ever known.

"The fire! The fire is going to reach the other tanks!"

She finally reconnected with him, but only for a second. Sheva had rushed to the window, looking down and noticing the drop the two would have to take. They had taken many leaps before, but with Chris' current condition, she wasn't completely sure if he would be in all one piece. She turned to study his body- hand still holding onto his waist, face expressing the pain he was going through.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he said hastily, pushing her forward. Alomar looked down to the ground outside, swinging her legs over, and, without another second to spare, jumped down. She gracefully flipped through the air, landing elegantly and lightly on her feet, one hand down to steady herself.

"Come down! Hurry!" She yelled, getting up and looking at the window.

Chris' throat was dry, and before an answer could even form in his head, loud bangs came from the medal door behind him. _Fuck_. Not all of the majini and lickers were killed, and the ones that were still alive were absolutely fuming with rage and bloodlust.

Swinging back to the windows, Redfield dove out just as soon as the door had slammed wide open. Even the howls of the majini were audible as he crashed to the ground, sand and pebbles skidding about on impact.

"Okay...that really hurt," he said as Sheva swung her arms around him, helping him up from the huge drop he had taken. Every part of his body was screaming for a break, just a second to lie down and not exert itself. Chris had every intention of satisfying this need, but now was certainly not the best time, much to the distraught of the strain put on himself. The propane tanks were still roaring with life back there, and sooner or later, its flames would reach the others and cause an explosion ten times worse than that of the one Sheva had caused. "We have to get some distance," he said, but Sheva really had no need of hearing that. She knew just as much as he did, and through this whole time of realizing how banged up his was, Alomar was busy helping him down the road.

With a loud crash, the last of the propane tanks ignited, spurts of flames and glass shattering through the windows behind the two. The factory all in itself was dying, crumbling and collapsing. The screeches of the Reaper were faint, a few screams and shouts of the armed majini mingling along with its dying breath. Both BSAA agents turned to spectate the event, embers shimmering in the harsh light of the evening sun.

"That...was close." Chris' partner turned to look at him, smiling, tired hands still holding onto him.

"I'd say," she said with a small laugh.

* * *

Yup! Chapter 2...what an escape. Well, seems a whole lot like one of the action film escapes with the huge explosion and what not.

In chapter 3, Chris and Sheva would need some time to recover. A lot more relaxed in the next installment! Hope you stick with me~


	3. Chapter 3: Recuperate

Hey...it's Veterans Day as I type this all out. I better go spam out on Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan! Darn it! Why isn't The Pacific out on DVD yet? You think maybe I should start writing angry letters? xD

So, back on topic, here it is. The chapter full of writer's block. MHM. I had it work out as best as I could. Now! Back to the plotting board...and WWII stuff. Wait...I have a history test to study for! See how much I love you guys? :I

* * *

**Chapter 3: Recuperate**

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon of the sandy hills in front of the house. Streaks of the pale light seeped through the dainty curtains of the window, specks of dust catching it as they floated lazily through the air. Sheva had just closed the door behind them, Chris limping over to the futon on the open spot of the floor, cardboard boxes piled up in disarray all over the place. Family portraits were scattered about, great displays of blood sprayed throughout the room. Sheva gave out a sigh, clearly unhappy with the matter of things. She was never quite fond of stumbling upon a household that once held the members of a once breathing, happily family. The smiles of the childrens' faces, bright and blissful, sang a song of pure sorrow. Sheva sat down beside Chris, keeping her steady gaze on the pictures. Little knick-knacks stood on the shelves and windowsills, untouched and forgotten for so long.

"Wesker," she spoke carefully, as if to make sure she wouldn't shatter the silence around them, "took everything away from them. I don't understand...I don't want to understand."

"He doesn't care. He's just walking around with no heart. Doesn't matter who he hurts, as long as he gets what he wants. Just the way he is." Sheva looked at him for a second, but returned to look at the smiling faces. He had lost Raccoon City, and now, she was losing her country. Wesker wasn't and never would be the type of person to ever give a damn. If the whole world went against him, he would make sure to make every single person out there regret doing so. "Don't worry. We'll stop him."

"He's about to draw his last breath," she mumbled out, bringing her knees up to her chest, hiding her face. "I don't want that man to take another step...he doesn't deserve it."

Chris was silent, not really knowing how to reply to that. Sheva knew that her partner hated Wesker just as much as she did, but while not knowing the full story between the two, she couldn't quite pinpoint what had happened beforehand to heighten Chris' sense of revulsion towards him. They had something personal, but she wouldn't ask now.

"Anyway, enough of that. How are you doing?" Sheva asked, veering the topic off course, shaking off the growing pause that started to take hold of the both of them. Chris turned to look at her, almost forgetting the pain he was in when they had started discussing about Wesker and shrugged. His body was aching, bleeding and sore, taking great relief for the moment he was sitting still.

Alomar kept her head leaning against her left arm which was still propped against her knee. "I'll be fine. Just give me a few and I should be up and ready again," Chris' replied, voice quiet and relaxed. He shut his eyes, head going back and reaching the wall behind him, taking great pleasure from the moment he used to catch his breath. Over exerting his body was something Chris did very often, so often that it was just normal for him, and whenever he stopped, it felt like a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders. "We should get more moments just like this," he spoke out, words gently falling off his lips.

"I wish we could," his partner responded, quiet ruffles coming from her side. She was busy relaxing her strained shoulders when Chris went to take a quick peek at her. "But Wesker doesn't stop moving, so we can't either."

"And let's say we, and we will, kill Wesker. What then?"

"There will always be threats to the world. We'll just keep on our toes 'till something else happens."

Redfield listened to her, shutting his eyes once more. "So what are you going to do after all this?"

Silence lengthened between them before she finally answered. "Try to get Africa back to the way she once was."

He should have expected that. Why he even asked, he wasn't quiet sure...maybe to just hear her voice? The thought strangely alerted him, and soon, he shook it out of his thoughts. "I can guarantee you that she'll be back to normal quickly. Once people start hearing about it, it would virtually be a crime not to help out." Chris looked at her again, smiling weakly to further reassure her, Sheva nodding in response.

"I'm sure America wouldn't be able to sit still."

"I have no idea what that means, but it's supposed to be a good thing," Chris said, as if taken back. Alomar simply laughed, and he relaxed again.

"Don't be so suspicious."

The brunet sat himself up properly as she went over to face him directly. She was shuffling through her bag for a first aid spray, but she had used her last one on him back in the factory after the narrowing escape. "I guess I'm just gonna have to work it out-"

"There's probably some supplies in the bathroom," Sheva said, pretending not to hear his words. "Stay here."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere else."

The sounds of cabinets opening and closing creaked through the house, and though he was sure they were alone, Chris couldn't help but to be a bit antsy alone in the room. It was better to be prepared, and besides, he reasoned it was never a good idea to let your guard down, no matter how safe it appeared to be.

"Oh! I found some bandages over here and disinfectant. It's a good thing we ran into a place with kids, right?" Redfield brought his head up, seeing Sheva's eyes as she bent down to him.

"Yeah...I guess so. It's a good thing we ran into this neighborhood at all."

"Josh said there was a small town just beyond the factory. Told us to rest up and grab what we could after we were done with our objective."

Chris almost forgot about the objective. Just seemed more like another random day at a killing field. "It was a waste of time. Neither Irving or Wesker were there like they told us."

"Wasn't H.Q.'s fault. Maybe they were fooled or they just relayed the information a little too late."

The BSAA agent merely shrugged as Sheva went up to grab his shirt. He quickly diverted his attention to her. "I can undress myself. Don't worry, I haven't completely lost my motor functions." She grinned, not quite expecting such a response from him. "Anyway, H.Q. barely gives us any information. They had us set out, just the two of us, to the mines. I don't know about you, but I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have been all that troubled if we were to have died there. There were probably other agents sitting around to take the mission."

"They wouldn't have been able to get the job done like us two," she said, dabbing an amount of the disinfectant onto a piece of cotton. "You have something personal against him, and I lost my family and friends to his plan. We will see it through, while most would be quite happy to drop it and resume their lives."

Chris clicked his tongue, thinking that she was probably right. Still, H.Q. had practically sent a two man party to go out and save the entire world from destruction. Many have died already, and sure, they were still alive, but not to much help from them. "Guess so."

His cuts weren't deep enough to cause concern, but they did stretch out rather long. Bruises from the hold of the Reaper and lickers were starting to show, coloring his skin with darker yellows, soon to be deep blues and purples. Specks of red dotted around his wounds, but they weren't anything Sheva hadn't seen before. Raising the cotton up to the cuts, she began to gently trace them, a slight twitch of discomfort coming from Chris before he finally eased into it. "Even if what you said were true, it wouldn't matter, would it? We're still gonna find Wesker, with or without their help."

Redfield shook his head, his opinion turned. "Yeah, you're right. But- Sheva! Be a little bit more careful!" Sheva had pressed the wound with too much pressure, and she quickly went back to steady herself. "Anyway, he's going to turn up dead one way or another." She nodded, slowly moving her hands as she continued to tend to his wounds.

The two had thoughts run through their minds, their voices refusing to speak them out. Wesker this, Wesker that...it was always just Wesker. It had always just been about him- to end his plans, to bring 'global peace' back to the world (as if such a milestone had ever been reached). Both BSAA agents had concocted up their own tactics, wondering just how to have Wesker leave this world (most of which were incredibly brutal and torturous). Now, alone, they were more steady and thinking back to the past, just reminiscing about the prior days.

S.T.A.R.S. was expendable to Wesker, especially the lives of those that had once said his name in great admiration to his skills. Chris was guilty- he was one of those people. Like some sort of star struck member, he continually would look up to him, do everything to please him. Even then, Wesker was quiet and mysterious, but working with S.T.A.R.S., it just made him look like that calm, cool, and collected agent. It had been years, though since the incident in the city, and Chris had stopped being so naive and well taken over of. He knew how to watch his own back, and learned not to trust every single person he saw. On the edge, he was always cautious of other people. Those that were smart, he had to look over the most. So cunning and deceitful was Wesker, Redfield could only hold his breath in the presence of the intellectual. His betrayal did more than just anger Chris- it had changed him, and changed him into a better and more well adapt BSAA agent.

Images of Sheva's family flashed through her mind, the voices of her foster family heard deep in her subconscious. Visions of kids running down the street, playing tag and sports, were abundant in her moment of recollection. Always so innocent, the children had filled Sheva with happiness, just bringing her back to the simpler times.

"You okay?" Chris had stopped exploring his past, seeing the sadness that enveloped his partner.

She looked up at him, smiling, as if to say that everything was alright, and went to grab the roll of gauze. Sheva reached around him, wrapping the bandages around his waist, bringing it back to her as she continued to tend to him. "There. Finished," she softly spoke, backing up and examining her work. Nodding in approval, she figured her role of playing guardian angel was well played out. "Nothing serious. Like you wanted, you'd be up in no time."

"Ha...thanks," Chris responded, leaning his back against the wall after Sheva's words. The bandages held onto him tightly, forcing him to find a better position to rest in. Lying down on the futon, he let out a soft groan of approval. It was soft, and would definitely be the best rest he would probably ever take. The ticking of a distant clock began to entice him into sleep.

Sheva lied down next to him, close, her legs folded. "Mhm...exactly what we needed." Redfield opened his eyes, seeing her smiling face just upon doing so. His heart pounded frantically. "We can get lost forever now, right?"

"Yeah," he started, laughing quietly, "but I think we would have different reasons."

She looked rather surprised, studying him, hoping she would be able to catch on. "Why is that?"

"You'll get lost in sleep. Me? Well, I'm looking right at you, aren't I?"

"Chris." The BSAA agent turned his head around, chuckling to himself before returning to catch his partner's gaze again. Her dark bangs fell over her face, the shimmering ember in her eyes ever so bright...how she would think he was merely just joking was beyond his grasp.

"Kidding, kidding," he lied, a look of even greater surprise now in her expression. "What is it?"

"Why would you joke about something like that? It's such a-"

"Lie?"

She stared at him again, biting her lower lip as she caught the seriousness in his eyes. How he stared at her, like he was reading her like a book...Sheva's face started to redden, but she composed herself, sounding well above and in control. "You should really just start resting. You need it." The brunet nodded in agreement, though he would not start on the order. Chris lied there, the color of his eyes burning with great intensity, though Sheva couldn't quite understand why.

"You know, when you look nervous-"

"Which I'm not," Sheva said, defending herself as well as she possibly could. The expression on Chris' face told her that he was quite aware of her heart racing away. "Oh, and you're just fine over there, I assume?"

He nodded, though it was not true. He was just better at hiding it than she was, and thank god for that, or she would be using it against him. "Sure."

She looked unconvinced, but she stopped, not saying another word due to the lack of proof to back her up. Sheva shut her eyes, hoping that that would help her, to avoid noticing his gaze falling upon her, to further discover every single thing running through her mind. She wasn't aware if Chris knew, but he himself was pretty good at deciphering people (making Sheva decide that it was best to start showing her stoic side more). "For someone who complained of exhaustion, you sure can stay awake," she muttered, feeling his eyes drill into her.

"Well, now, it'll take a bit."

Sheva got up, straightening her back out against the wall, liking it much better than staying down beside him. Who knew that Chris would get her so worked up as now. "Make up your mind."

Chris stopped resting, bringing himself up and looking straight at her. He gave her no room to look around anywhere else, to search for something to keep her attention. "Alright."

They had always went out to save one another, that was a given. Whether it was because they were partners wasn't very clear to Chris anymore. Perhaps it was something more? As the days wore on, he had realized his startling rise in the attention he was giving to his teammate. Her voice was starting to become more and more cherished, more and more yearned for. The fleeting moments where she would touch him, to carry him out of the way of trouble, caused a rush of euphoria in him. It was obvious- she was clearly doing something to him. Perhaps she didn't mean to, but either way, it was happening.

The brunet leaned in, meeting her lips ever so slowly. She had failed to move out of the way, to even try at doing so. Was she startled into a state of paralyzes? Whether or not the answer was yes, Redfield surely didn't have any intentions of letting her change her mind.

He continued to kiss her, trapping her against the wall, hands on both sides of her waist. Sheva was still unmoving, probably still soaking in the reality of it all. It wasn't like Chris to do something someone else didn't approve of, and surely enough, he began to doubt himself. It was better to just end it, to back up and stop doing what he was doing, especially since Alomar had seemed so against the idea of Chris, even if just slightly, falling for her. Before breaking it off though, her arms went up to reach his neck, drawing him in and preventing him from actually going away. It was much to his pleasant surprise, just being seconds away from stopping it.

Sheva had leaned in closer, her chest against his, so close that Chris could feel her heart beating away. He smiled behind the kiss before fully immersing himself once more, heightening the intensity slowly, keeping his partner on her toes. She was matching his movements, and the BSAA agent could feel himself getting lost. Lost, exactly what she had brought up moments before, though, to say he knew it was going to end this way surely wasn't true.

It was totally against his better judgment to be doing this, knowing all too well that there was always danger around. To fully submerse in this- in kissing Sheva- was never a survival point. Though, he had been wanting to do this for a while, even it have been deep in his mind, hidden, it was most obviously clear now. The temperature in the room was climbing up, rising faster and faster as the seconds rolled on. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, eagerly exploring, hands holding onto her as she accepted each and every move he made. It was completely unbearable. Her touch against his bare skin, even against the wounds she had cared to moments before, was gentle, warm and soothing. She arched into him, clearly not wanting it to end...

Suddenly, the sound of a transmission gave way, much to Chris' displeasure. It was always going off at the worst moments, and not going off when they needed it. "Who could that possibly be...?" He asked, forehead pressed against hers, just inches away.

"Mhm...I'm not quite sure," Sheva responded, looking over, reaching to grab her ear piece which she had taken off prior to her attempt at sleep. She pressed it back into her ear, tapping it with her forefinger before making sure it was in place. "Hello? Come in?" Chris had picked himself up, looking away, obviously not pleased with the interruption. "Josh?" A pause. "Oh...yes...we're just fine."

Chris propped his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as he tried to hear the words Josh was feeding to her.

"Alright. Alright...got it."

"So?" The male said, eyebrows quirked in curiosity. It had better been good. Sheva looked over at him, folding her hands into her lap, looking down. "Sheva-"

"He was just wondering how it all went. He said we didn't tell him and he was getting really worried." Of course. Why couldn't have it been a call like, 'Help! Wesker is here, and he's got a thousand rockets, ready to blast the shit out of Africa'? At least then it would have kept his mind completely off the kiss...

"Oh. Well, we wouldn't have wanted to keep him waiting," Chris lazily replied, a monotone voice. Sheva patted his shoulder, a little weary at first, probably wondering what had just happened between the two of them now that it was over.

"I think it's best to rest. Tomorrow, it's all about Wesker."

He turned to face her, nodding in agreement. Though, unhappy as he was, their objective was still waiting in the distance, still unattained and needing to be just the opposite. "Right." This was supposed to be about Wesker. Always about Wesker.

* * *

Yeahhhhhhh, Chapter 3.

ANYWAY...CHRIS-

Chris, that wasn't fair! He wants his money back!

Don't worry Mr. Redfield...I'm sure Sheva will make it up to you~


End file.
